Tip leads to discovery of decomposed body at rural Augusta home

A tip to come to a house in rural Augusta today led Butler County Sheriff's deputies to the discovery of a badly decomposed body at the home of Susan May, 54.

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By Julie Clements

Wellington Daily News - Wellington, KS

By Julie Clements

Posted Oct. 14, 2013 at 10:53 PM

By Julie Clements
Posted Oct. 14, 2013 at 10:53 PM

Augusta, Kan.

A tip to come to a house in rural Augusta today led Butler County Sheriff's deputies to the discovery of a badly decomposed body at the home of Susan May, 54.

Sheriff Kelly Herzet said a reporting party called today to tell officers they needed to go to the home because there could be a deceased person in the back yard.

Herzet said deputies arrived to do a welfare check and upon arriving, went to the front door, where they knocked but no one came to the door.

"Then they went around to the back door and saw in plain view what appeared to be a deceased person in the back yard as reported," Herzet said. "They backed off, secured the scene, went back to El Dorado and wrote a search warrant. They came back and executed it."

May was not at home but was located in Augusta and taken to the Augusta Department of Public Safety where she was interviewed by detectives. After the interview she was arrested and taken to the Butler County Jail. She was charged with voluntary manslaughter, criminal desecration and two counts of obstruction.

"This isn't the first time we had contact with Susan," Herzet said. "In 2000 we worked a case here where she had shot her boyfriend. He did live, but we are familiar with Susan May."

The body was taken to Sedgwick County Regional Science center for an autopsy. Herzet said the coroner also was on the scene.

Detectives and officers worked this evening, trying to stay ahead of the wind and rain and were finishing up the crime scene at about 10:30 p.m. They will return first thing in the morning to work on the rest of the house and other things they need to work outside.